Volunteering

bluesSHOUT! would never be the great weekend that it is without its volunteers! As you might expect, bluesSHOUT! is a complicated event with many moving parts. To ensure that we have the right people for the jobs at hand, we need to know a little more about you, your strengths, and your commitment to helping out.

When you volunteer for bluesSHOUT!, you become a part of bluesSHOUT!. We rely on you to be part of the team! This means promptness for your shifts, fully completing tasks assigned to you, and making decisions in your areas of authority. It's important to us that you still have an epic time at the event, so we'd rather you commit a bit less than miss any of your duties.

We do have a large number of volunteer applicants each year, and we are looking for the best! This means that not everyone will be able to volunteer for us at this time.

Volunteering FAQ

We have 8 board and staff members who work year round to make this event possible. We accept ~10 volunteers and we receive over 50 applications each year! We only accept volunteers with experience and a love of the blues community to help this machine run smoothly!

You must register and send in a check in order to be approved to volunteer. We will not cash your check until after bluesSHOUT!. If you complete enough hours to cover your entire pass then the check will be shredded. All passes are non-refundable. If you decide to no longer come to the event your check will be cashed. You can transfer your pass to another dancer or defer it to next year.

When you complete your volunteer application you can request to be ‘off’ for those contests. We do require that you tell us you are going to compete *before* you approve your volunteer slots. After that you are required to find someone else to switch or cover your shift that is an approved volunteer.

Once you have confirmed your schedule, you will be expected to be present for every shift you’re scheduled for. You will receive a copy of the schedule to approve prior to the weekend. If you look at the schedule at a later date and would like to swap shifts with anyone, that change MUST go through the Volunteer Coordinator. You will be provided with her cell phone number when you get your final volunteer schedule.

If you find that you will miss or be late for a shift for any reason, call Dee immediately. If we’ve had enough notice to get the on-call person to cover your shift, then your pay will only be reduced for the missed shift. If, however, you don’t give us enough notice, then your pay will be reduced for double the credits that shift was worth. Please show up for your shifts!

Daytime shifts cover classes from 10a to 4p. Night shifts are 7p-Midnight and Midnight to 5am.You don't have to be on site, just nearby -- within 20 minutes of the venue with reliable transportation. If you are not called in, you'll receive 1 credit. If we do need you, then you get additional credits for the shifts you do work. You can combine regular shifts with being on call but not at the same time. For example, if you're on call during the Friday main dance, you can't also work the door at that time. You can work the door at late night or another day.